St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-19
Postmaster Day Finds Many
Defects in the Laws Gov
erning Mail Service.
Prohibited Writing and Print
ing On Third and Fourth
Class Matter,
And How It is Working an
Unjust Hardship on Many
Publishers.
The Doctor Urges Congress to
Overhaul the Laws of the
Department.
To the Editor of the Globe.

make the following suggestions in rela-
ton to certain laws governing the pos
tai service:
Let me first take up prohibited writ
ing and printing on third and fourth
class mail matter.
This subject has lately agitated the
public mind, and threatened serious loss
to business, by reason Of strict en-
forcement of the laws in relation to
what may be printed or written on the
covers of third or fourth class mail
matter.
There seems to have never been any
other reason for the prohibition of the
printing objected to on the covers of
this class OF mail matter than loss OF
revenue to the department, and the sole
SN0tive of the legislation by congress
prohibiting it was to prevent such loss.
Before the reduction Of letter postage,
and when it was 10 cents, or cents, or
even cents per half ounce, such prOhl-
bitiOn might have been claimed as useful
in preventing the use of the lower rates
of postage being used to convey inf0rma-
ton that should of right pay the higher.
But since the reduction of letter postage
TO 2 cents and the increase of the unit
of weight from a half ounce to one
ounce the motives to defraud the rev.
enue is largely if not wholly taken
away, and the necessity of the law no
longer exists. My experience leads me
to the conclusion that the laws prohibit
ing the printing on third and fourth
class matter were not founded upon
practical knowledge of the effect such
printing would have upon the revenues
of the department. Twelve years ago
nothing whatever but the address was
allowed Oh the cover of third and
fOurth-claSS matter; afterwards, by act
of congress, permission was granted to
write the name and address of the
sender. etc. Finally the PRONUNCIATION
of what is now known as sec. $50, L.
L. ar. ed. 1887, opened the way, and
by tacit consent the public were per-
United to use their ordinary printed
shipping tags. wrapping paper, ETC., for
the address cover of printed matter and
merchandise, and their printed en-
VelOpes for circulars sent in the mail
The effect at this office has been to
enormously increase the revenues from
these classes of mail matter without
increasing in anything like cor
responding degree the expenses
of the service. Then, if it be true, as it
undoubtedly is, that the use of these or
binary printed tags, wrapping paper,
ETC., with the name, business, street and
number of the sender upon them, or the
printed envelopes for circulars, does
not really decrease the revenues of the
postal service, what excuse can there be
for prohibiting it? Admitting that the
announcement of the business upon the
cover of these classes of mail matter is
70 hn of hn n
service, if it does not injuriOuSly affect
the revenues of the department. then
why should it be forbidden? Is not
the postal service for the use of the peO-
pie? And why should they not be al
lowed any incidental benefit from its
uses that does not violate its Droprlety,
its usefulness. or its revenues?
Then, again. the addition of the bust
ness, trade. calling, etc, to the name of
the sender is of great value i'll the de-
livery of mail, or its return to writer, OF
sende T. especially when there are many
persons of the same or similar names
residing in the delivery of post
office, e. g. Our city directory con-
tains the names of 1850 JOhnsOnS,
IO5 of whom are John JOhnSOnS; of this
number "A are plain John JOhnSOnS, and
81 have initial letters i'll their names.
This represents population of 2,700 of
that name likely to get mail at this
Office. A letter returned to John john
son. grocer. would at once go to 1919
Arcade street, but if the word grocer
were left out of the address he could
not be distinguished from the others of
the same name.
Hence, as reSult-Of experience, L am
constrained to urge upon the depart
ment and congress revision of the
laws upon the subject of prohibited
writing and printing upon the covers of
third and fourth class mail matter, so as
to bring them within the reasonable
wants and uSageS Of the public, and to
make them conform to the common
usageS adopted by the people for the
dispatch of their business. Since the re-
duction OF letter postage l have never
been able to give patron OF the postal
service a competent reason why he is
not permitted to use, in the dispatch of
his mails, the same tags, labels. wrap
pers and envelopes that he uses when
he delivers the same goods by ordinary
messenger or other carrier for hire. 1t
is lust such unreasonable amOyanceS
and distinctions without the necessity
of a difference as these that encourages
private competition and brings the
postal service into disrepute among the
people. 1t seems to be a complete Solu-
tion of ''How not to do it,"
FORWARDED MAIL.
Just why the law (Sec. 1910, X. s. eS-
tabliSheS a kind of ariStocracy in the
various classes of mail is more than any
one who has kept a pOStOffice can find
out. This section demands that Pre-
paid letters shall be forwarded from one
-4<&Ss 20, ct ln, e
the party addressed, without additional
charge for postage" and is silent on all
other fully prepaid matter. BY Iegula-
ton (Sec. 81. p. L. & r. ed, 1879 per-
mission was granted to forward all other
fully prepaid matter, but this was soon
reScinded as not being in conformity to
law. 1t seems to me that all classes of
mail that has paid the full rate of
postage demanded by act of congress
has entered the pOstOffice by the front
door, and in this respect should be
treated exactly alike, be the postage
great or small.
The lakes of Minnesota are noted
summer resorts, and persons visiting
them generally order their mail to be
sent to St. Paul and leave orders here
to have it forwarded to whatever point
they stop. Among this mail is sure to
be copy OF the local news
paper published at their homes. upon
which they rely for the home news: and
which lies among the plebeian dead of
the Office, while the aristOcratic two
cent letter is duly forwarded. And all
this in face of the fact that it actually
takes more time and labor to condemn
it to the waste basket than it would to
send the coveted newspaper to its owner
with the rest OF his mail. And, worst of
all, fully 80 per cent of the people
blame the postmaster general or the 10
cal postmaster for their incompetent
management. As matter of fact, how
over. most poStmaSterS at third and
fourth class pOstoffices, under the broad
spirit cot accommodation, do forward
newspapers and merchandise, and
thereby violate the law, for which they
get benedictiOnS instead of curses.
To admit all classes of fully prepaid
II